News

Thousands of animals fall victim to Britain’s roads each year, with almost 4,000 found by local authorities in 2016 and 2017 alone, according to new research.

The new figures, obtained by Freedom of Information request to Highways England, Transport Scotland and the Welsh Department for Transport, reveal some unlucky animals are more likely than others to be hit by a car. Deer accounted for 1,117 deaths, almost a third (29%) of roadkill found, while badgers have the second highest death count with 915 (23%) reported. Sadly, common domestic animals such as cats and dogs also ranked highly, with 340 (9%) and 286 (7%) deaths, respectively. The past two years have even seen the deaths of animals you wouldn’t typically find on Britain’s roads, with one wallaby killed on the M1 and a peacock on the A174.

These figures could be even higher given almost two fifths (39%) of motorists have hit an animal while driving, and not all of these may have been reported to local authorities. In fact, many said they had collided with a bird (42%) with more than a quarter (26%) having run over a rabbit.

Although motorcyclists represent just 0.7% of road traffic in Wales, they account for 23% of killed or seriously injured road casualties.

As we all know, motorcyclists are often also drivers and depending on which mode of transport they use on a particular day, they could be drastically more at risk of being involved in a serious collision. Latest figures for Wales show that motorcyclists are 86 times more at risk of being killed or seriously injured than any other driver.

Reducing motorcycling casualties across Wales remains a key priority for partners in Road Safety Wales and raising awareness of the increased level of risk experienced by riders of motorcycles is one of the measures being used.

DVLA has just made some new additions to their 'Pay a DVLA Fine' service. The service, launched in 2016 allows customers to pay vehicle-related fines online. Building on its success, the service has now been extended and enhanced, allowing customers to deal with a broader range of fines more easily, and sort out their vehicle tax, all at the same time.

Fines issued to vehicle keepers that are caught using an untaxed or uninsured vehicle on the public road were, until recently, paid using a paper process. Following customer feedback that paying a fine in this way was an administrative burden, the facility to pay online has been made available.

As well as increasing the range of fines that can be paid online, the way that the digital service links up with other parts of GOV.UK has been enhanced. Up until recently, the online service for paying a fine was separate from the online service to tax your vehicle. This meant after a fine was paid, customers needed to find their vehicle registration document and head to a different service to pay their tax.

The free askMID mobile phone service launched by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) today will help millions of accident victims a year to check vehicle insurance details at the roadside.

The new 'askMID Roadside' service, which is only accessible via a smart mobile device at www.askMID.com, can be used to check the insurance details of the other parties involved in a road traffic accident.

MIB Chief Executive, Ashton West, believes the new mobile service will help these drivers and many others take some of the stress out of collecting important information at the time of the accident.

A contingent of multi agency partners across emergency services and Welsh Government have travelled to Sweden to explore how to reduce the number of serious and fatal collisions.

The ambition is to make Welsh roads the safest in the world, through learning from partners and pioneers, and visiting the Swedish Transport Administration. Their national approach, through design, enforcement, communication and legislation has created a culture where serious or fatal collisions are becoming a rarity due to their “Vision Zero initiative”, which aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on the country’s roads.

More than 530 people were arrested in Wales in December as police forces cracked down on driving under the influence of drink or drugs. The All-Wales Christmas Anti-Drink/Drug Driving Campaign, led by North Wales Police, saw 537 people arrested across the country. South Wales Police recorded the highest figures, making 207 arrests for drink and drug driving. Police described the actions of those caught as "disappointing".

As part of the campaign, North Wales Police distributed free disposable breath test kits for anyone who wanted an indication of alcohol levels the morning after a night of drinking.

Inspector David Cust, North Wales Police said: "We have received an overwhelmingly positive response to the disposable breath test kits. Many have told us it stopped them from driving the morning after having indicated that alcohol was still present in their systems. From our point of view if it prevented one person from taking a risk then they've done their job."

Can Road Safety, Public Health and Air Quality Priorities Support Each Other?

7 March 2018 - The Ricoh Arena, Coventry

This year's conference will explore the growing debate about how effective road safety policies can be maintained and developed at the same time as policies to reduce air pollution, improve air quality, and encourage active travel to improve public health.

Is the Active Travel Act working? That’s the question being posed by an Assembly committee as it looks at the law which is meant to make it easier to walk and cycle in Wales.

The Committee has launched a written consultation seeking views on the first Welsh transport law, which came in to force in 2013.

Russell George, chair of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, said: “The Active Travel Act called on local authorities to produce two maps – a first map of existing routes for walking and cycling; and a second map setting out their aspirations for the future.

With wintry weather blowing in again, now is the time to get familiar with winter driving tips. You can find comprehensive advice on the RoSPA website.

To make a good start, put yourself together an emergency kit to keep in your car, especially if you're going on a long journey. If this seems unnecessary, take a moment to imagine yourself stranded in your car overnight, due to a snow storm or floods. How would you stay warm? What would you eat and drink?